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Children of Kina - Rituals
The Ritual of Guiding The Grove of the Nighthawk was packed with the Children of Kina. They awaited anxiously for the ritual to begin. The crowd whispered anxiously about the ritual they were about to see. Some noted that the Martyr Tupelo did not write of this ritual. Others complained it was a fabrication of the scholars. Some voices noted that Tupelo left fragments and musings that were not part of the Call of the Mother. The crowd quieted down as the four candidates took up their positions. Each stood at the cardinal point of a compass around the perimeter of a 105 link wide pit of burning coals. 40 stone columns were evenly spaced around the perimeter as well. Each was 12 links high. On top of each was a sacred goblet, all identical in appearance. The torches around the grove were extinguished and the grove was plunged into darkness. The crowd began chanting “Kina, mother” over and over. The candidates moved and the ritual began. It was a representation of the origin myth of Kina. Each walked through the darkness, illuminated only by the dull glow from the coals. This was to represent the unformed world at the beginning- broken and burning from the demons. They crossed the burning pit to one of the columns. They took the goblet and drank down its contents. This represented Kina crossing the world to catch and consume the demonic offspring. Some of the goblets had water, others strong alcohol, other poisons or emetics. Then they repeated the crossing. One by one, the candidates fell. The first must have consumed an emetic and it eventually caused him to vomit and wretch, falling to the ground beside the columns. A second managed four goblets before she something caused her gait to become unsteady. She staggered and her foot dug into the coals, badly burning herself. The third, a woman, consumed her fifth goblet when it caused her to spit it out. The harsh, strong alcohol sprayed across the coals, creating a sudden burst of heat and flame. The last candidate turned at the flame. He must have realized he was the last candidate. Yet he did not stop immediately. Instead, he reached for what was to be his final goblet. Those closest to him saw his smile as he drank greedily of the ice cold water in the goblet, chilled by a tiny fragment of True Ice. A voice from the assembled judges announced, “All present now know, The Goddess of the Night, our Mother Kina, has shown this man her love.” Another voice said, “All present now reflect on he who passed Khaditna’s challenge.” A third voice continued, “All present now see who Khadi has taken into her embrace.” And a final voice finished, “Brothers and sisters in spirit, see now our new Eldest Child.” Around the perimeter, torches burst back into light, and the assembled crowd saw Elemi Scoria, a Quill Scholar in his early thirties, standing beside the pit. Mother’s Voice There is a ceremony to dedicate infants, children and adults to Kina. The differences in ritual are related to the age of the initiate. For infants, they are swaddled and placed in pitch black room. Room should be warm, quiet, and reminiscent of womb. Any Child of Kina not related to parents can officiate. The Officer questions the mother, and she affirms. After that, she may retrieve her child. For Children, they stand naked in a pitch dark room. Tradition holds that is should be cold, to represent the cold darkness of night. Similarly, an Officer asks them the questions, and they affirm. The Officer also asks one parent, usually the mother, to affirm as well. 1a: Dearest (name here), do you believe that Kina is the Mother of the Night? 1b: Do you, his/her parent/family, believe that Kina is the Mother of the Night? 2a: Dearest (name), do you believe that all souls come from her and will return to her in their proper time? 2b: Do you, his/her parent/family, believe that all souls come from her and will return to her in their proper time? 3a:Dearest (name), do you understand the great and terrible power to shape your world that you have been gifted.? 3b: Do you, his/her parent/family, believe your child capable of shaping her world through the gift of Kina? 4a: Dearest (name), will you seek understanding of your actions and strive for purity of motivation? 4b: Do you, his/her parent/family, teach your son/daughter to seek understanding of themselves from within? 5a: Dearest (name), will you respect life, and treat others so that you would willingly trade paths? 5b:Will you, her family, teach your daughter to respect life and treat others with respect 6a: Dearest (name), do you understand that you will be judged by Khadi, and shown neither pity nor mercy for your deeds in life 6b: Do you, his/her parent/family, show him/her no pity nor mercy, that they should be prepared for judgment by Khadi?” After the affirmations, the Officer allows the candidate and family to be reunited and says a simple blessing. Category:Religion Category:Religion of Telluris